2012年-世界发展银行全球_Liberia_-_Public_Expenditure_Review___Human_Development_105页_1mb

Summary of Liberia Public Expenditure Review on Human Development

Core Content

This report presents a Public Expenditure Review (PER) of the human development sector in Liberia, focusing on education, health, and social protection. The review is part of the World Bank's efforts to improve the efficiency, equity, and quality of public spending in these critical areas. The report is based on data from 2008/09 to 2011/12 and highlights the challenges and opportunities for enhancing human development outcomes in the country.

Main Viewpoints

1. Importance of Human Development

• Human development sectors (education, health, and social protection) are crucial for promoting economic development, social equity, and peace.
• A well-educated and healthy labor force can significantly contribute to productivity and economic diversification.
• Social protection systems, including social insurance and safety nets, help reduce household vulnerability and inequality.

2. Post-Conflict Progress and Challenges

• Since the end of the civil war in 2003, human development in Liberia has improved, albeit slowly and unevenly.
• Progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been mixed, with three goals showing some improvement and five lagging, particularly those related to human development.
• The country has a "lost generation" of youth who lacked access to education and healthcare during the conflict, requiring targeted catch-up programs.

3. Funding and Resource Allocation

• Public spending on human development remains low compared to Sub-Saharan African (SSA) standards.
• Education spending as a share of GDP is among the lowest in SSA, and as a share of total public expenditure, it is at the very bottom.
• Health spending is also below SSA averages, with only 6.8 percent of total government expenditure.
• Social protection spending is around 2 percent of total expenditure, which is insufficient for the most vulnerable populations.

4. Dependence on Donor Funding

• The human development sector is heavily reliant on external financing.
• In education, donor funding accounts for 38-53 percent of total expenditure.
• In health, donor contributions make up over 80 percent of total resources.
• Donor funding is the main source for social safety net programs, while the government finances the social insurance program.

5. Inequitable Intra-Sectoral Allocation

• Intra-sectoral funding is not sufficiently pro-poor.
• Primary education receives only 33 percent of the total education budget, despite accounting for 79 percent of enrollment.
• Tertiary education receives 34 percent of the budget, although it accounts for only 5 percent of enrollment.
• Middle-class students dominate primary school enrollment, while wealthier households are overrepresented in secondary and higher education.

6. Regional Disparities

• Education and health resources are unevenly distributed across counties.
• Montserrado County, which has one-third of the population, receives 53 percent of all medical doctors and has the shortest average distance to a health facility.
• Social protection programs are more concentrated in urban centers, while nutrition and public work programs are more evenly distributed.

7. Inefficiency in Public Spending

• Public spending is inefficient, with high overhead costs, budget under-execution, and leakage of funds.
• In education, 90 percent of the primary education budget was spent on wages due to overstaffing.
• In health, administrative costs account for 20 percent of the budget, which is considered high.
• In social protection, 64 percent of the budget is allocated to administrative costs, with only 36 percent going to program costs.

8. Data Limitations

• There is a severe lack of detailed, up-to-date data on public expenditures.
• Budget data is based on outdated classifications, with the new Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) only introduced in 2011.
• Data on private out-of-pocket payments for education and health is not available.

Key Information

Education Sector

• Enrollment: Gross enrollment ratio increased slightly from 86% (2007) to 88% (2010), but universal primary completion by 2015 is unlikely.
• Dropout and Repetition: Dropout and repetition rates remain high, especially among older students.
• Teacher Training: Current training does not address the specific needs of overaged students in mixed classrooms.
• Private Schools: Private schools have seen the highest enrollment growth (68% over three years).
• Gender Parity: The gender gap in education is narrowing, and Liberia is likely to meet the MDG for gender parity in primary and secondary education by 2015.

Health Sector

• Health System: The system is weak, with limited facilities and human resources.
• Funding: Donor funding accounts for over 80% of total health resources.
• Public Health Services: The Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) is offered free to the public, but coverage is limited.
• Health Workforce: Montserrado County has the majority of health professionals.
• Equity: Primary care receives less funding than secondary care, and there is a pro-rich bias in service distribution.

Social Protection Sector

• Social Safety Nets: Donor funding is the primary source for social safety net programs, while the government finances the social insurance program.
• Coverage: Insurance programs are concentrated in urban areas, and social assistance is more evenly distributed.
• Efficiency: Program costs are low, with a significant share allocated to administrative expenses.
• Need for Expansion: Current social protection programs are insufficient for the most vulnerable populations.

Recommendations

1. Education Sector

• Improve teacher training to address the needs of overaged students.
• Increase public spending on education to meet SSA standards.
• Expand access to basic and post-basic education to improve livelihoods.
• Strengthen monitoring and evaluation of education programs.

2. Health Sector

• Enhance the quality and availability of health services, especially in rural areas.
• Improve budget execution and reduce administrative costs.
• Expand the Basic Package of Health Services to cover more regions and populations.
• Strengthen data collection and analysis to inform policy decisions.

3. Social Protection Sector

• Increase government funding for social protection programs to ensure they are pro-poor.
• Improve the efficiency of social protection spending by reducing administrative costs.
• Expand social safety net programs to cover more vulnerable populations, especially in rural areas.
• Strengthen institutional capacity for data collection and monitoring.

Conclusion

The report underscores the need for improved efficiency, equity, and quality in public spending on human development in Liberia. Despite some progress, the country continues to face significant challenges in resource allocation, governance, and data availability. The findings suggest that a more targeted and inclusive approach to funding and management is necessary to achieve sustainable human development outcomes.